The Six
by TheFlawedPrincess
Summary: The Selection-a.k.a every Illean girl's dream- has begun! 35 young daughters of Illea have been Selected to go live in the palace to win the heart of Prince Lionel. Everyone is ecstatic. That is, everyone but Analeyah. Analeyah Salome is a Six who, unlike most, is very proud of her caste. She wouldn't change it for the world, but, her whole entire life changes when she is Selected.
1. Chapter 1

I hate to admit it. Being in a competition scared me enough, but being in a competition as big as The Selection was terrifying. As long as I could remember, my mom always doted on me becoming the next princess of Illea, our next to nothing country. Ever since Queen Eadlyn passed away as well as her husband Kile, King Ahren had taken the throne. King Ahren and Queen Camille had three children: Dante, Logan, and Lionel. Lionel happened to be the oldest, meaning that I would be competing for his heart, but I wasn't doing this for love. So far, since I hadn't met the prince, I was entering The Selection for the weekly compensation your family would receive when you were Selected.

My brother called my name with a rather angry tone.

"Analeyah!" He coughed. "It's time for breakfast! Come down now or go hungry!"

I grunted and ran downstairs. As a Six, we didn't really have that much money at all, and went without breakfast most days since we couldn't afford it. When I got downstairs my mother was rubbing her temples, looking like she had just cried only minutes before I came down. I sat down at the table and ducked my head. I knew that she had been crying because of me. Guilt flooded my mind and body, and my hands began to shake, but I had to stay strong.

The night before, my mother and I had a rather heated conversation about The Selection. I didn't want to enter, but she was wanting me to so badly that I couldn't turn it down. I liked being a Six, as our job was to be simply hospitable to those who called for our help cleaning houses, babysitting, and sometimes even repairing certain appliances. Helping people was what I loved most, which is why my mother was determined that I would make a wonderful princess. I looked down on the idea as I had never worn a dress in my life other than when I was a baby, and I was in no way graceful.

Breakfast was quiet, as was lunch. Dinner was different. Dad, Lee, Tya, Naton, Mom and I sat at the table. At first we were quiet, but my mom pulled out an envelope and immediately smiled at me.

"Here it is, Analeyah." Mom cooed as she opened the envelope. Her eyes scanned the page, her smile growing with every word she engulfed. "To the house of Salome." She read aloud, glancing over at me to take in my saddened expression. Tya's face glowed, her bright blue eyes seeming both interested and excited at the same time. "His Royal Highness King Ahren has been informed that a young lady between the ages 16-20 resides in your house. Prince Lionel is coming of age this week and will be holding a Selection to choose his future wife, and the new Princess of Illea! 35 honored daughters of Illea will be chosen to compete for Prince Lionel's heart, and the young women's families will be _extremely_ rewarded for sharing their wonderful, smart daughters with the royal family." She grinned and set the letter down in front of me. I sighed as she passed me a pen to fill out the form to enter me in. I sat staring for so long that I didn't notice everyone else getting up and going upstairs for bed.

The form was stupid. If it was a lottery, why did they need to know how many languages I spoke or what hobbies I had and what I was good at? It was rather alarming, but I listed that I knew Italian, English, French, Spanish and a small bit of German. By the time I was done filling it out, it was around midnight. I was exhausted. I set the form on the counter in the kitchen with a note telling my mom to take it to the Province Service Center in the morning, and to wake me up when she did so. I wasn't excited to enter this, but I was nervous for the results all the same.

Sleep. It seemed like a foreign word as I got little to nothing of it. My nerves were killing me. Why did I think that I possibly had a small chance of being chosen? Why would they choose a Six? It was obvious that this wasn't a lottery, because only the best of girls had been chosen in the past, and I was nowhere close to as perfect as Queen America was. She nearly got sent home three times, but somehow she survived long enough to marry King Maxon. The whole country grieved her death for so long that some even started riots. Queen Eadlyn, America's daughter, was killed in one of those riots that the Southern Rebels had composed on the palace, just because she was nothing like her gorgeous mother.

After about three hours of sleep, I woke to the sound of mom's soft knocking on my door.

"Analeyah?" She asked quietly, gently pushing the door open to see if I was awake or not. She smiled when she saw me sitting up and staring at her. "Go ahead and get ready, dove." She turned and began to walk back downstairs. I sighed and threw myself back on the bed. Oh, how I was _not_ looking forward to this. I pulled on my best clothes—a black skirt and a purple T-shirt with black flats. I pulled my hair up into a messy bun and put on a small bit of makeup. I didn't want to look regal; I didn't even want to look serene. I just wanted to look like who I was. Analeyah Marne Salome.

When I got downstairs I noticed Lee and Tya playing on the carpet in front of the TV that we used only to watch the _Illea Capital Report_ which came on every Friday with the same news every time. But, for the next few weeks, The Selection was going to be all over the news, magazines and in almost everybody's gossip. I ran a hand through Lee's messy curls just to annoy him, and he looked up at me and grinned.

"I think you're going to win, Analeyah. At least I hope you do." He said, his ten year old perky voice higher than usual. I chuckled.

"No, Lee, I'm not even Selected yet."

"But you will be. I know you will." Tya pulled on his arm in complaint and he rolled his eyes and continued playing with her.

I slowly walked into the kitchen to see if Naton was in there, because I knew if he was I wouldn't hear the end of how my decision to enter The Selection was so foolish. He opposed Ones and didn't want any of his family members to be acquainted with them. I respected that, but he had to learn that I could make my own decisions whether he agreed with them or not. Seeing that only Mom was in the kitchen and not Naton, I gave a sigh of relief. She turned and looked at me with her beautiful green eyes. I had gotten those from her. They for once looked happy and joyful, and that made me want to cry. I felt my eyes welling up, but I shook it away.

"Are you ready to go, dove?" Mom asked, flipping a light brown curl behind her back. I nodded.

"Don't really have a choice, do I?" I gave a nervous laugh. Mom looked at me with loving, sad eyes.

"It'll all be over soon, dove, just be patient." Mom assured. I nodded yet again.

"I'm not so good at that, am I?" I said humorously. She smiled warmly at me.

"No, I don't suppose you are."

.~.~.~.

When we got to the Service Center the lines were streaming into the streets. It was an array of color. Some were wearing dresses of bright colors like pink, blue and green. Others were wearing black, navy or purple. All of the girls were dressed as if they were going to the palace to have a meeting with King Ahren himself, except me and a few other girls who obviously hadn't gotten the memo to dress fancily. My mom could sense my nervousness and put her lips to my ear.

"It'll be fine, dove, don't worry about it." She murmured soothingly. I smiled. My mother was the best in the world. She reminded me of a superhero, always helping people when they were down.

"It's hard not to worry." I muttered. Mom rubbed my shoulder in reassurance. She knew very well what I was worried about and it was certainly not this. I didn't mind submitting my form and having a picture taken of me. I was just nervous to see if I was one of the 35 girls who were picked.

It took about an hour to get through the line, submit my form, and get that stupid little picture taken. I smiled largely in the picture as I was thinking about helping my family while they took it. I tried to imagine living in the palace, but I couldn't. It seemed like such a dream that it didn't seem like it could ever happen.

.~.~.~.

When I got home I sat on the couch with Dad as he was adding up the cost of the bills for this month. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Hey, princess, how was your day?" He asked, seeming genuinely interested. I shrugged.

"Interesting, I suppose. Nothing out of the ordinary, though. How was yours?" I smiled and rested my head on my father's shoulder. He was always so surprisingly warm. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Same answer that I give you every day. I'm alive, so I'm great." Dad chuckled and kissed my cheek, then went back to calculating numbers. Just watching him reminded me of how much I hated math.

Since I was under so much stress, my mom excused me for bed earlier than my brothers and sister. I threw myself on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I felt like crying. _What if I'm Selected and I don't even like the prince?_ I asked myself. I groaned, as I didn't have an answer for myself. I rolled over to face the wall next to my bed and hugged a nearby pillow to my chest. I was terrified.


	2. A Look at Prince Lionel FS

"Knock, knock," I heard my mother's faint voice outside of my room, "time to get up, Lio. Come on, now."

"Why do you have to wake me up so damn early?" I complained, laughing a bit as I did so. I heard my mother chuckle lightly.

"Come on, Lionel get out of bed." She pleaded. I finally gave in and tried to make my bed look a little messy so it at least looked like I had slept _some._ I had been having trouble sleeping lately, but I had to blame it on the upcoming Selection. The girls were being drawn in two weeks, and I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that soon, the woman who would be my future wife would be arriving here. At the palace; so close to me.

I got dressed and straightened out my hair, making sure any stray curls didn't fall in my face. I double checked my suit, making sure it was crisp enough, and centered my tie a little bit more before turning away from my mirror and walking toward the door. It would be a long day.

"Oh, come on, Lionel," the Spanish princess, Josephine, teased, "you have to be a little excited to have so many women in your house at one time!" I chuckled and shook my head.

"Well, how would you feel about having 35 men in your home?" I questioned, cocking my head. Josephine considered this.

"Honestly, it doesn't sound so bad. I wish my country had a Selection. I find them to be so very romantic." She flashed me a grin and I just had to laugh. If only she knew.

I excused myself from Josephine so I could go get some fresh air. Being around so many different strangers at one time was giving me a headache, and I could barely stand being in the Great Room any longer. Before I left, I examined the crowd. _Wow, it's going to get so much bigger than this in so little time._ I shook my head, catching my mother's eye. She nodded at me, as if knowing exactly what I was thinking about. I smiled, but only slightly, and walked out of the room, adjusting my sleeve as I left. The library was waiting for me, and I had a new book in mind already.

Once I got into the library, I located the book I was looking for and sat on one of the cushions positioned near one of the windows. I flipped through the pages, finding relief in how familiar they were to me. I had picked up this book when I was 14 for the first time, just to take a look at my future but I never took it seriously. The book was on the past Selections and how they had gone, how the man, and in one case, woman, took the role of choosing a husband/wife. It all seemed so complicated that I was sure that war strategizing was much easier than that. I sighed and looked up, realizing I wasn't the only person in the room.

"Hey, Idelle." I greeted and smiled, getting up to bow to her.

"Cousin." Idelle greeted back. Idelle was my Uncle Osten's daughter, and boy, did she look like him. She had carrot-red hair, blue eyes, and her whole entire body was covered in freckles. She had the same mischievous smile that he did, and she and I did quite a bit of scheming when the time was right. She was my best friend, the only person closest to my age who lived in the palace still. She had a sister, but I never really spoke to Evie. Only at family reunions, which weren't really reunions since we pass each other every day.

"I need your help," I mumbled, "please don't laugh."

"No promises." She smirked and I rolled my eyes.

"I need help with girls. I don't understand you creatures.

"Oh!" Idelle burst into laughter. I mentally kicked myself for asking her this, but she was a girl and having this conversation with my mother would be way too awkward.

"Shut up. Just please help me." I begged. She stopped laughing and shook her head, straightening up a bit.

"Okay, okay," she paused, "just the way you said it…" Idelle started laughing again and I made my way to the door. She didn't even notice when I left.

The day was so incredibly tiring that I took my dinner in my room, leaving my parents concerned that I had come down with something. I assured them that if I had come down with something I would definitely be causing quite the scene to get the guests out of the house so that I didn't infect them with whatever infected me. I was simply tired. There was no other way to put it.

I stirred my dinner around on my plate. No matter how good the cooks were in the palace-they are remarkable!-I had no appetite. I called for a butler to dispose of my food and quickly went to take a bath. It was so soothing, and I felt all of the energy that had drained from me that day resurge rather suddenly. I sighed. It would be another one of those sleepless nights. Then again, that would be my life until the 35 selected was narrowed down to 10. And that was a long time from now.

 _ **A/N: AHHHHH! I have never written as a guy before so please don't judge me. I just figured you would want to know the prince before the Selected were announced *cough* soon *cough* I love you guys and thank you so much for reading!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the Selection or any of the original characters. They are owned by Kiera Cass.**_

 _ **Also, I am going to be uploading a special story every Friday for you guys that goes along with it! Once I get all of the forms in it will mostly be introducing all of the Selected, including Miss Sassy herself, Analeyah.**_


	3. Chapter 2

I didn't get much sleep for the next two weeks. I knew that tonight on the _Illea Capital Report_ , I was going to find out who the 35 Selected were. And, to say the least, my nervousness had died down a whole lot. I still didn't know if I wanted to find out, though. I sat on the couch in the early morning, braiding Tya's hair. She was talking to Lee about her crazy dream and how they could play with their dolls differently this time. Lee was grinning as she was talking to him, seeming anxious to be able to play with her again. Mom and Dad were still in their room at 9, so I ended up having to make breakfast on my own. Fridays were our day off of work, and we appreciated every bit of time off that we could get. I made the family eggs and sausage and decided that I wasn't hungry, so I went up to my room to think.

When I got up to my room, Naton was sitting on my bed, staring out the window. He apparently heard me walk in, because he turned around and smiled.

"Hey, Ley." He murmured softly, not sounding like he wanted to argue for once. I walked up and sat next to him.

"Hey, Nat, what do you need?" I asked, gently placing my hand on his. Naton sighed and got a distant look in his eyes.

"What do you think of the baker's daughter?" He asked me. I blinked. He was talking about Terra who was only a year younger than him. He talked about her every now and then, so I didn't know where this conversation was going.

"She's a nice girl," I whispered, "I haven't really talked to her much, but every time I did she seemed interested in how you were doing." Naton's face lit up.

"Really?" He asked, "She asked about me?" I nodded, and saw him grin.

"Nat, do you like her?" I accused with a giggle. He blushed.

"Well, we've been dating in secret for a while, and I was thinking about asking her to marry me. But you know…she's a Four. I'm not sure if she'll want to be a Six." He seemed so sad and scared, as if one rejection would break him.

"If she loves you, Nat, I'm sure she'd love to be a Six as long as she was with you." I assured. He smiled bigger, then his face suddenly dropped.

"Ley, what about Mom? Will she approve?" He asked. I gently rubbed his hand.

"Mom would love her as long as she makes you happy." I told him.

"Thanks, Ley." Naton said and kissed me on the cheek. "I think I'll ask tonight."

"Good luck," I whispered as he got up and left.

.~.~.~.

It was time. My family gathered around the TV as the _Report_ began. I got so nervous that I could feel myself shaking. I looked around to find Naton and saw that he was talking to Dad. I smiled, knowing what he was talking to him about. Once he was done talking to Dad he came over and sat next to me, putting his lips to my ear.

"I asked." He whispered to me. I grinned.

"What'd she say?" I asked and gave a teasing push. He blushed.

"We're getting married next month." Naton replied. I beamed.

"Oh, Naton! That's great!" I exclaimed. He was all I needed to get my mind off of The Selection for once. I actually felt confident that I wouldn't get picked. I loved my life here, and I had no intention of leaving it.

I heard Tya squeal as the _Report_ came on. An instrumental version of our national anthem came on as it always did. Lee ran over and sat in my lap so he could get a front row seat. I laughed quietly and ruffled his hair. The face of Enrique Vanderloft came into view with his cheesy little grin as he introduced the royal family. King Ahren was sitting on the larger throne, next to Queen Camille who looked completely regal. Her face seemed so calm even though she knew the fate of her son's happiness was going to be among the 35 girls being announced tonight. I wished I could be as calm as she was on a daily basis. Prince Lionel sat next to the Queen, with his brothers next to him.

Enrique gripped the microphone that was in his hand and finally spoke.

"Hello, people of Illea! Tonight we are taking a break from our usual news and jumping right into announcing the 35 girls who will be competing in The Selection!" He grabbed a piece of paper that had a gold glow to it and began to read it aloud, "From Honduragua we have Dianna Wallace, Four." I let out a sigh of relief. He kept going through names until he began to announce the girl from Newberry. I swallowed. _Please don't be me, please don't be me._ I thought to myself.

"And the final girl from the province of Newberry is…Analeyah Salome, Six!" Enrique announced giddily. My parents cheered along with my brothers and sister. I felt my heart drop into the pit of my stomach. My mind went blank. I didn't realize when I started crying but before I knew it, Dad was on the floor hugging me and stroking my hair, telling me it was going to be okay. I didn't think it was going to be okay. In two weeks I would be going to the palace to start my princess training. I was so _not_ looking forward to this.

Dad shifted me around in his arms so that I was looking at him.

"Honey," He whispered, "Ley, listen to me. You're going to be okay, you'll make a wonderful princess." I shook my head as Dad let go of me. Lee crept over and hugged me and I hugged him like I never had before. He seemed so small in my arms, so gentle, so fragile, and so loving. He was the youngest, but he always seemed to make me feel better than both Tya and Naton ever did.

 **A/N: Sorry this is a bit short, I'm hoping to get two chapters up this week, and instead of doing my** ** _Friday Special Sneak Peak_** **on Friday, I'll have to post it on Thursday. Disappointing. I know. But, it's for a good cause since I will be out visiting family over the weekend. Love you all!**


	4. Analeyah's Interview FS 2

**A/N: Hey guys! So, like I said, here is the FS! This is taking place the day after the girls were announced. They wanted to interview all of the girls before they came to the palace and after they arrived at the palace, so this is Ley's before-interview. Hope y'all enjoy!**

Everything in my home was at some form of unrest. My mom was constantly reminding all of the palace attendants that I was an excellent girl and that they should commend me to the prince. Of course, this appalled me, so I stayed in some sort of dark corner as much as I could, avoiding the talking and mooning that was occurring. My doorbell was constantly ringing. Every two to three minutes, there were girls at my door either to congratulate me and wish me the best of luck, or tell me that it should be them that got chosen and not me. At some point, we just started letting the staff stationed in our home start answering them.

I was in the bathroom, braiding my hair down the side when the woman with the clipboard approached me. She had sharp features and very pale skin which complimented her straight black hair. It was very obvious to me that she had relatives from New Asia, and that she was very sophisticated. I decided to curtsy lightly to her to show that I wasn't rude. She gave a smile, then began to speak.

"Hello, there, Analeyah." She said warmly. "I am going to be interviewing you so that the prince can get a small feel for you before you arrive at the palace. I am going to have to ask that we retreat upstairs into your room and for your family not to interrupt us." She clicked her pen on her clipboard, and I nodded boredly.

"Yes, ma'am. I will go let them know that they should-"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. Nigel has already taken care of it." She interrupted. I scanned the room for my mother and found her with a rather concerned look on her face. She mouthed to me, _What's up?_ I shook my head and she smirked, putting her hands on her hips. Just then, the lady with the clipboard grabbed my arm and started guiding me to my room as if I had never been there before.

She sat me down at my bed and reached out to touch my hand. A camera crew rushed in and adjusted the lighting, making sure it looked professional enough. The lady with the clipboard looked back at one of the guys, winked, and the cameras started rolling.

"Alright, citizens of Illéa, this is Lilica Donalds reporting live from the house of Salome! This is Analeyah Salome, Newberry's daughter of Illéa!" She exclaimed with a grin, turning me toward the camera and urging me to smile. Almost instantly, I did.

"Now, Analeyah, what made you enter your form in the Selection?" She asked with a large smile.

"Well," I began, not sure if I should tell the truth or not, "it had always been a dream of mine to meet the royal family, and to possibly join the Selection, but my goodness, I didn't expect to actually be picked!" I lied. I probably shouldn't have, but it would look good on TV, so I decided to do it anyway. Lilica chuckled.

"Nervous, then?"

"About many things, yes." I replied. _About if I like the prince, or if I like the palace at all, but worst of all, what if I fall for the prince?_

"Could you share one of the things that has caused you to feel this way?" She pressed, staring into my eyes. I blinked. Of course she would ask that.

"Just worried that the prince won't like me, I guess." I murmured. _Like I'd really care._

"Ah, I would be too. But don't worry, Lionel is a hoot!" She laughed, and I didn't know that I was supposed to as well until she kicked me gently and glanced over at me momentarily. I then started laughing.

"I'd expect nothing less from the prince of Illéa."

"Indeed, indeed." She agreed, then scanned her clipboard for other questions. "So, Analeyah, dear, how many siblings do you have?" I beamed. Finally, an easy question.

"Five. I have three older brothers, a younger sister, and a younger brother."

"And what are their names?" Lilica asked.

"Well, Addison is the oldest. He's married and recently had a son." I stopped to smile at that part. "After Addison is Luca. He's also married, but they haven't decided on children just yet. Naton is after Luca, and he's 18. He's the only one of the older three still living with us. After Naton is me, and after me is Tya. Tya is the only other female child, so, we're pretty close. Then there's Lee. He's the youngest, and he's 8 years old. We all adore him." I smiled proudly.

"Wonderful!" Lilica quietly applauded me, then nodded to the cameramen. "That's it." She told me before rising from her chair.

"That's all?" I asked her, sort of disappointed.

"Yes, that should be great for now." She nodded to me before leaving the room.

I had just barely survived my first interview. How was I supposed to survive any more?

 **A/N: Okay, so I know this wasn't as good as my previous FS, but I've been sort of sick and I haven't really been brainstorming too hard on what I'm planning to write. This was sort of a spur of the moment thing, so please don't judge me! Love you all.**


	5. Chapter 3

**A/N: Guess who's back? Back again! Lol, that was so cheesy, but hello! I am back from hiatus and still might be a little slow on uploading, but at least I'm giving you all something at all. Testing was so stressful, I am so glad to be out of it. There won't be any FS for a bit, I wanna catch us up on how much I've written, first. So, today I am going to post Chapter 3, and tomorrow I will post Chapter 4 (my person favorite, I'm excited to post it.). As for The Palace, that will be up some time next week since my friend has had no ambition to write her part. I'm pretty far into Astrid's, but y'all have to think about Natasha as well. :) Love you all!**

All I could feel when I woke up was my damp pillow and my swollen eyes burned more than usual. I sat up to find my Mom and Dad sitting in the corner of my room, having an inaudible conversation that was obviously serious. Dad knit his eyebrows and shook his head. He began to say something more, but Mom noticed me sitting up in bed, staring at them. She smiled at me and stood up.

"Good morning, dove." She said quietly and sat on the bed next to me. I simply nodded at her as she began to gently stroke my hair. I sighed and stared blankly at a wall. I felt like crying again. Mom looked into my eyes, concern rising.

"Honey, some people from the palace are downstairs to ask you a few questions." Dad explained, obviously not too excited about it. He huffed, then said, "They say they need you down as soon as you get out of bed. They seem a little urgent, and it's very obvious to me that they mean business." Mom sighed.

"I didn't know The Selection meant putting our lives out there for everyone to observe." She muttered, bringing a hand to her forehead. I nodded.

"It'll be alright, Mom, Dad." I smiled at them both then got up and went downstairs to answer those questions that I needed to answer.

.~.~.~.

The man that came up to me first introduced himself as Damsel, and he sat down with me in the kitchen, asking me questions like "Why did you enter the Selection?" and "What are you hoping to get out of this once in a lifetime experience?" I was very careful with how I answered, and he seemed rather pleased with the results.

"Now," Damsel began, placing a hand atop mine. "This is going to sound rather strange to you." I nodded, bracing myself for whatever he was about to throw at me. "Are you still a virgin?" He asked. I felt stripped of my privacy, but I nodded anyway.

"I've never even had a boyfriend." I admitted. He nodded.

"Sorry that I had to ask you that," He mumbled, "It's just..it's the law, and if you had broken that we'd have to make you an Eight, or throw you in jail." I ducked my head. I knew a girl who was thrown in jail for that. She was my best friend. Isabel Weatherly. She was the sweetest thing ever, and she was put in jail for 7 years for simply showing someone that she loved them. It made me sick to my stomach.

Damsel asked me other questions like if I'd ever stolen or if I'd ever lied to the government, and with each question came a paper to sign saying that I wasn't lying. It was all pretty dumb, making me sign a paper that I was sure that I wasn't lying about, but at the same time the King needed to know whether we'd been asked the questions we were supposed to have been asked.

Mom and Lee were in the living room, playing with each other while Tya was too busy doing her hair to look good in front of the guards. She was 13, and looked almost exactly like our mother, except with Dad's eyes. She was beautiful to say the least, and her heart was every bit as beautiful. When Damsel finally got done asking me meaningless questions, I got up and ran over to sit with her.

"You look beautiful, T." I told her, giving her a warm smile. I really loved my sister, she was so caring; just like our father.

"Thanks, Ley." Tya murmured, then looked up at me. "Promise me you'll at least try to win?" Her eyes were pleading. I knew she wanted out of this moneyless hole as much as everybody else did.

"I promise." I said with a small nod. She grinned at me and wrapped her thin little arms around me.

"Thanks." I could tell she was trying not to cry. I gently rubbed her back, putting my lips to her ear.

"I'll try to send you some cool stuff from the palace." I promised with a small grin, "You deserve it." Tya's eyes widened.

"Really?! You'd do that?!" She seemed excited, as she had only ever had the worn hand-me-downs from me. I nodded.

"I would. You deserve the best." With that I got up and walked upstairs for some peace and quiet.

.~.~.~.

I woke up from my little nap to the sound of Mom and Dad bickering.

"Well what the hell else can we do?!" Mom yelled. "We're running out of money, dear. We don't have much of a choice but to send them into the workforce."

"They're only _children_! That would be like taking away their whole damn childhood! I don't want them to grow up like we did!" Dad shot back. Mom huffed loudly.

"Well, I guess we can't give them happiness and rainbows can we? All Tya does anyway is make fun of Lee, and Ley works all day and night to keep us alive. Now, she's going off to the palace for The Selection, and who the hell knows if the Southern Rebels are blood thirsty right now. Maybe you should've just married that girl Regina instead!" I had never heard my mother speak to Dad that way before.

"Maybe I should've. Maybe I should've." Dad grunted and left their room, slamming the door behind him. I sat up in bed and pulled my knees to my chest. Why were they fighting all of a sudden? They never fight, they always seem so happy together. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, for I knew that the reason they were fighting was because _I_ was Selected.

.~.~.~.

I poked my head out of my room at around 1 AM to make sure nobody was awake. Once I was sure of it, I ran downstairs and went into the living room, sitting down on the floor with a big plop. I pulled out a box that was hidden under the TV. I knew exactly what this was. It was old videos that my parents had taken just to remember when my siblings and I were younger. I picked up a tape that was dated December 25th and put it into the VCR.

When the image popped up on the screen I immediately remembered the day like it was yesterday. My three older brothers—Adney, Luca, and Naton—were sitting on the rug in front of our makeshift Christmas tree. Adney was 6, Luca was 5, Naton was 4, and I was 3. The figure of a pregnant woman came into the room. Her voice was soft and warm, and it was obvious that she was very loving. Right then, I realized it was mom. She was eight months pregnant with Tya, and she was holding her belly, standing in a corner, laughing at something Dad had said.

I remember always wanting to find a love as strong as theirs. The video turned off, and I pulled out an old photo album instead. When I opened it, I saw a picture of Mom and Dad on their wedding day. Mom looked absolutely regal. Her light curly hair was up in a bun that had little strands framing her face, and there was a flower in her hair. Her dress was simple, and she looked so happy standing there next to Dad. I turned the page. I saw Mom again, but this time, she was holding a baby. Under the picture was a note that said "Adney Clark. 4:15 AM, Christmas Day."

As I went through the pictures, I started to cry. I wished my family was still this happy. I stopped on a picture. It was of me when I was 6, holding 3 year old Tya. Mom was in the background grimacing as she held her pregnant belly. That was when I realized that Mom had health issues even before Lee was born. I wanted to tell Dad that, because he still blames himself for letting death whisper something in Mom's ear. I closed the book and ran back upstairs, as I just could not think about it anymore.


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: You guys, I lied. I'm going to post chapter 4 AND chapter 5 today!**

"Analeyah, honey, you have to get up. You leave to go to the palace today, remember?" Mom gently shook me. I groaned and rolled over.

"I don't want to go." I muttered. I heard Mom sigh.

"Please honey, do this for me. Do it for your siblings and your Dad. Do it for the baby." She spoke the last few words cautiously as if she were scared to see my reaction.

"The…the baby?" I asked, bewildered.

"Yes, honey. The baby." Mom looked down, placing a gentle hand on her tummy. My eyes widened.

"Is that why you and Dad were fighting last night? How long have you known?" I flooded her with questions. She let out another sigh.

"I've known for three months," She admitted, "And, no, your father and I weren't fighting. We just had a rather loud disagreement."

"So, the baby is going to be here in—at the most—6 months?" I gave her a questioning look. Mom nodded.

"Five." She murmured in response. My eyes were huge.

"Wait, you're four months in? Don't you know if it's a boy or girl yet?" I began to raise my voice. Mom shook her head.

"We don't want to know what it is until it's born." She said, and stood. "You should start gathering a few things, dear. Your send off is in an hour." With that she left. I groaned. Why were my parents always so secretive? It's always been a mystery to me.

.~.~.~.

The whole idea of the send off was stupid. I didn't see why it was necessary to have the whole province come out to watch you leave on an airplane for the palace. I mean, sure, I'm going somewhere important, but, the whole province? Come on.

The streets were filled with people. Some were young girls who I had seen waiting in line to turn in their applicant forms for The Selection. I didn't get very nice glances from them at all. Standing on the stage in the airport was Damsel. He smiled at me and waved me over, but his eyes told me to hurry. I raced over to the stage and climbed the stairs, ducking my head the whole time. Damsel picked up a microphone and started to speak.

"Hello, people of Newberry! Welcome to the send off of our beautiful Daughter of Illea, Analeyah Salome!" The people cheered and I blushed. Some had signs with my name on it, as if they wanted me to win. That gave me courage. Damsel walked over to me slowly.

"Alright, honey. You have two minutes to talk to your family members before getting on the plane. Is that alright?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I nodded to him, and raced over to my family. I engulfed Dad in an embrace, then let go and hugged Mom. Lee hugged my waist and Tya hugged him. Naton was standing with Terra, not wanting in on the love fest.

"You're going to do great, dove. I know you will." Mom said, gently wiping a tear from my cheek. I nodded to her, too choked up to speak. Dad spoke next.

"Good luck, princess." He kissed me on the cheek and everyone walked away. Tya waved to me over her shoulder and I laughed. She had done that to me ever since she was very young. And to the sight of Lee grinning in my direction, I boarded the plane.

.~.~.~.

The plane hit a wall of turbulence about ten minutes into the flight. I moaned, feeling like I was close to losing my breakfast. It felt like my insides were about to all come out of my mouth. But I didn't want to think about it.

The plane stopped 3 times to pick up other girls. The first one to get on was the Two from Carolina. Her name was...Jani? Yes. Jani. That's it. She sat as far from me as she could. I wondered why. I didn't smell, and I certainly didn't look like trash, but she apparently thought so. Maybe it was because I was a Six. Whatever the reason, I didn't care. Another girl came in and sat next to me. She had lovely hazel eyes and shoulder length auburn hair. She looked over at me with a smile.

"Hey, I'm Ginger." She said, holding out her hand. I took it with a smile.

"Analeyah." I replied. She nodded.

"I know. I saw you on the _Report._ You were one of the prettiest girls so I sort of remember you. You're a Six right?" Ginger asked. She seemed so happy that I was talking to her nicely.

"Yeah. What are you?" I gave her a questioning look.

"A Four." She replied grimly. I nodded. At least I wasn't the only lower class girl on this plane.

"Awesome." I laughed a little. Ginger looked over to Jani.

"What about you, uh…" She stopped, and I knew just then that she didn't know her name.

"Jani," I whispered to her. Ginger quickly nodded.

"What caste are you, Jani?" She asked sweetly. I hoped Jani didn't turn around and be mean to her, because if she did, I'd most likely lash out and get kicked out before I even got to the palace.

"A Two." Jani mumbled, not interesting in conversing with a girl in a lower caste than her.

"Oh," Ginger said. "I'm sorry for bothering you." Jani just grunted and looked away.

"Don't take it to heart," I mumbled, "she's just jealous because she isn't as accepting as you are." Ginger smiled softly, cupping a hand over her mouth as she doubled over in laughter. She received a rather cold glare from Jani, causing her laughing to cease. We were quiet for the rest of the plane ride.

.~.~.~.

Once we all got to the arrival meet up, I was near losing my lunch. The plane ride was so unstable that I was unsure if we were in the air at some times. But the landing was much worse. It took them 25 minutes to get stable alone, and after that 5 more to get on the ground and slow down. Jani was complaining that the flight was unsatisfactory and that she would most definitely be complaining to the prince about it, while Ginger was as chipper as ever, eying all of the fancy floral arrangements around the Angeles airport. A reporter came up to me and smiled, her eyes were obvious in her asking me if she could ask a few questions. I shrugged and headed over to a small tree so we were alone for a bit.

"So, how is your family taking your being Selected?" The reporter began.

"Well," I began, thinking about my insistent mother, "my mother is over the moon, and my two little siblings are iffy about it. My dad is pretty neutral about it, but I can tell he's a bundle of nerves." The reporter laughed, and I could tell I was doing something right.

"You have very pretty eyes," the reporter complimented me, "do you get them from your mother or father?" I smiled. I was the only one of my parent's children to have green eyes, and my mom was so pleased to finally have a green eyed baby like her.

"My mother." I replied proudly. "I'm the only one other than her that has them. The rest of my family has dark brown eyes."

"A lucky one, then?" She asked, but hypothetically. She turned off the camera then nodded to me. "That should be enough, thank you." I smiled at her, then returned to my group.

"What did she ask you?" Ginger pressed, looking very interested in how that went. I shrugged.

"Just like any other interview, I suppose. She asked about my eyes and about how my family was taking my leaving, but other than that, she didn't seem to care about me." I chuckled, knowing this was how it was going to be for a long time, now.

"She only interviewed you." Ginger observed as she took in Jani's unhappy expression. "I wonder what that's all about?" I knit my eyebrows. She was right, that was weird. Why did they only interview me and not Jani or Ginger? What if there was something wrong with me? I dismissed the thought as soon as it made it to my head. There was no way that they were interviewing me just because I'm a Six. That would be unfair.

"I wouldn't give it any thought." I told Ginger, "She probably just grabbed the first one of us that she saw." Ginger seemed to consider this, and I could tell she didn't completely buy it, but she shrugged anyway, going back to her happy self.

.~.~.~.

It was quiet for most of the drive to the palace, though Jani tried to roll down the window once to wave to her loving fans. I had a few people from the lower castes rooting for me, and a couple others, but Jani and Ginger had the majority. It wasn't like it mattered to me, I was only here for the experience and not to win. When we got to the palace, my heart stopped.

It was huge, with 3 stories and balconies by every other window. There were two grand staircases leading up to the entrance that was guarded by five or six guards, and the doors were wide open. There was a fountain in the middle of a round-a-bout, and just in the distance I could see the garden. It was breathtaking.

The driver ushered us out of the car and into the palace so that we could get makeovers. A young woman who introduced herself as Mabel gave us a small tour and pointed out the Dining Hall, the garden, the library, the Great Room, and the Women's Room. The three of us were practically run into the Women's Room and sat down on a few cushions against a wall. A stylist came up to Ginger and smiled, seeming to already know what they wanted to do with her. I drew in a breath, hoping that I wouldn't have to change my look too much, but enough to look nice. A stylist then came up to me and gently grabbed my wrist, pulling me over to a station that had the number 6 at the top in large letters.

A few ladies came over and took me to a space behind a sold divider that had a bathtub behind it and a manicuring station. She washed me off and did my nails in a very light pink, then walked me back over to the station.

"So," he began, playing with my hair a little, "what would you like your image to be?" I thought for a moment. I wanted to look pretty, but not overdone. I smiled, knowing exactly what I wanted.

"A natural yet pretty look is perfectly fine with me." I told him. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't question what I meant. He took a few inches off of my hair and put it in a twisty up-do which was rather lovely. He put some sparkly pins in to make it a little fancier, then moved on to my makeup. He didn't put much foundation on me, and put only a couple dabs of blush on my cheeks. He gave me a light smoky eye, and light eyeliner with mascara to make my eyelashes look pretty. Once he was done with that, I looked like a princess. I smiled at my reflection in the mirror until it was time for me to choose a dress. The stylist let me over to a rack full of knee length pretty gowns.

"These are your day dresses," he explained, "you'll only be wearing these during the day, and the longer gowns will come at night." He then left me to choose, and I chose a pretty off-white dress that had a fitted bodice and a skirt that flowed out. It had sleeves that fell off the shoulder, and I felt very pretty. I slipped on a pair of matching off-white kitten heels and walked over to sit next to Ginger. She had on a lavender dress and silver heels. Her auburn hair was down and curled, and her hazel eyes sparkled.

"Do I look alright?" She asked, tilting her head.

"You look wonderful." I assured her, but she averted her gaze, seeming to be pondering if I meant it or not. I understood. After all, we were competition in her eyes, but in mine, we were just acquaintances that had met on the plane. We didn't talk for a while after that, or for the rest of the day.


	7. Chapter 5

After makeovers, Mabel took all of the girls around the palace and showed us the essentials, such as the kitchen, the courtyard, and our rooms. My room was pretty central, and it was quite annoying that I was stuck next to Jani, but I was also put next to Dianna Wallace who's a Four from Honduragua. She didn't look too bad, so I was glad to have a potential friend next to me. Ginger was stationed in between Albany Lucas who is a Three, and Amber Belfort, who is a Seven. Neither of them looked bad either, and Ginger was already chatting poor Amber's ears off.

When I got inside my room, I expected to be alone, but when I heard the scurrying of feet across my floor, I knew that wasn't the case. I looked around to see where it was coming from and saw some shadows in my bathroom. I raised my eyebrows and walked to the bathroom door, leaning in the doorframe. Inside of the bathroom were my two maids. One didn't look older than 17, with long blonde hair that was pulled into a tight bun, and eyes as blue as ice. The other seemed to be 19 or older, and had dark brown hair that complimented her darker skin tone. I cleared my throat and they turned around quickly. The blonde started to shake a bit, and I gave her a small smile.

"Hello, I am Analeyah Salome, a Six like you two." I curtsied to them and they seemed surprised.

"Oh, dear, miss, you mustn't curtsy for us. You are our superior, Lady Analeyah, we are merely your maids." The dark haired girl said as she curtsied deeply to me. I chuckled, waving that comment away.

"Please don't think of me as a superior. I do the same thing as you do for a living." I then looked to the blonde, "What are your names?"

"My name is Fathom," the blonde spoke up, her voice high but quiet at the same time, "Fathom York."

"Nice to meet you, Fathom." I replied kindly, trying to keep my sadness inside.

"I'm Idris Mayor." The darker haired girl said, smiling.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" I asked. Mabel hadn't exactly told us much about what was going to be happening in the next few hours, so I needed to be filled in.

"You'll have dinner in the Dining Hall, but after that you need to turn in for the night." Fathom said, "You'll be meeting the prince tomorrow."

"He's so dreamy!" Idris added with a sigh. I forced a giggle. If I wanted to seem interested, I needed to at least act like I agreed.

"Sounds good enough for me," I replied, "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to have some time alone." They both nodded and scurried out, leaving me alone to cry.

The palace's walls were apparently not thick enough to keep noise in, and I almost fell off of the bed when I heard a knock on my door around 4 in the afternoon. I rushed over to the door to open it, but it opened on its own. A tall figure of a man had opened the door quietly and closed it almost as fast as he had opened it.

"Um, I'll let you open it," his voice came from the other side of the door, "I don't want to be rude." I raised my eyebrows, confused as to who was at my door.

"Alright, then. Opening the door." I said, careful to keep my voice from breaking. When I did open the door, I found myself face-to-face with Prince Lionel. My heart stopped.

"Your Highness," I squeaked out, forcing myself into a sloppy curtsy. _Oh, jeez._ I thought to myself. _The Prince probably thinks you're lazy._

"Lady Analeyah?" Lionel half-asked, raising an eyebrow. "I sincerely apologize if I am incorrect, there are just so many of you and it is so incredibly hard for me to memorize all of your names." He gave a shy smile, then asked, "May I come in?"

"Of course." I replied.

Once the Prince was inside of my room, he immediately headed for the balcony.

"You should come out here. It calms homesickness very well." He assured me, walking over to me and taking one of my hands, pulling me outside onto the balcony with him. I smiled a bit, taking in the gorgeous view.

"I suppose you're right, Your Highness," I replied quietly, "it's gorgeous out here." Lionel nodded in agreement.

"You should see the view from the third floor. From where my room is, you can almost see the town below." Lionel seemed so genuine I almost felt bad for not entering the Selection for him. That's when I realized…

"Wait a minute, why are you in here? I thought you weren't supposed to talk to any of the girls until tomorrow?" I asked, squinting my eyes and suddenly worried about how I looked.

The Prince started looking for something to reply with, but came up blank. He knit his eyebrows and looked off in the distance, trying to locate his train of thought. His eyes were gorgeously chocolate brown, and his sandy blonde hair complimented that. My heart fluttered a bit when I noticed this, and I looked down wishing I could find some sort of mirror to check whether or not I look alright.

"You look beautiful, my lady." Lionel assured me as if he were reading my mind. I looked up at him and blushed.

"Thank you, Your Highness." I mumbled, then looked back up to his face, "But you never did answer my question." Lionel knit his eyebrows together a bit more than they already were before.

"I don't know." He replied, scratching his head. His brown eyes focused down on the garden and I analyzed his face. His expression was thoughtful, yet distant at the same time. His mouth was twisted into a frown, and he had a scar just above his upper lip that wasn't very obvious. I wondered how he had gotten that scar, probably playing with one of his younger brothers as a child. He had rather long eyelashes for a guy, which made me giggle a little to myself since his personality could be pretty intimidating, yet he had the longest eyelashes I had seen in a while.

Lionel stopped thinking, then looked over to me, his lips curling into a smile.

"Well, I heard you crying and I wanted to make sure that you were alright." He cleared his throat, "It seems that you are, so I suppose I'll be on my way." He chuckled quietly, then headed for my door. He turned around once more, asking, "I'll see you at the meetup, then?" My heart fluttered and I nodded, ducking my head.

"Goodnight, Lady Analeyah." Lionel bowed to me gentlemanly, and I returned the gesture with a gracious curtsy. Lionel slipped out the door in a matter of seconds, leaving me speechless. _That was so weird._ I told myself. _My heart was practically beating out of my chest…_ That's when it hit me. I had a crush on Prince Lionel, and I could do nothing at all to keep myself from feeling this way.

.~.~.~.

At dinner, we had assigned seating. I was in between Minzy Sellers, a Three, and Lori Hallow, a Two. I felt rather out of place at the large table, as most of them knew already how to use the fancy forks, spoons, and knives.

Thankfully, Mabel came to the rescue and gave us a quick lesson on which fork to use with which course, which spoon to use, and which knife was a butter knife and which was a regular knife. She also went over how to fold the napkin in our lap, and briefly brushed on table etiquette: keep your voices at a whisper, sit up straight, no slouching, and no talking out of turn in the presence of the royal family. Of course, the royal family wasn't joining us for dinner tonight, so we didn't have to worry about that one.

The food was remarkable. There was so much, that my evening gown-which was navy blue with a few gems sewn onto the top-started to get extremely tight. I wondered if it was going to bust and if I would have to add that to the list of embarrassing things that were waiting to happen at the palace. The girls weren't very talkative, most likely because Mabel was so intimidating and made everything sound like if you said the wrong thing you would get your head chopped off. Dinner was now over, and everyone stood, brushing off their dresses and making sure their makeup was pristine. I spotted Ginger and scurried over to her-in a ladylike way, of course-, eager to ask her about how her first day was.

"It was a mix between good and weird." Ginger admitted with a ghost of a laugh.

"Believe me, I know that feeling; though, my day is leaning a little more towards weird." I chuckled, and Ginger grabbed my arm, her eyes wide.

"I went out to explore the hallways, and this guy ran down the hall crying. I was so confused and asked him if he was alright, and all he said was, 'This is your fault! All of you!', of course, I was concerned for our safety, so I asked a guard about it, and he said that was one of King Ahren's advisors, and that he had gotten fired for insulting one of the Selected." I raised my eyebrows, but couldn't bring myself to say anything.

"What if he builds up an army of rebels and attacks us all?" Ginger asked, her hands beginning to tremble a bit. I shook my head.

"Not possible. And even if it was, the palace has excellent guards and they wouldn't make it inside of the walls." I gave her a small smile, and she piped up a bit.

"That's good to know." She said hopefully, then nodded towards the door. "I'm gonna go. I didn't sleep much last night, and a bit of rest will hopefully preserve my sanity." I chuckled and told her goodnight, turning away as she walked out.

.~.~.~.

My maids drew a bath full of lavender for me before bed, and gave me a light blue night gown that was rather soft to sleep in. They braided my hair and removed all of my makeup, leaving me back with what I was used to. Me. I smiled at my reflection, then turned to Idris and Fathom.

"You can go, thank you so much." I smiled at them as they curtsied to me and headed out of the room.

I flopped down onto my bed and pulled out a book that I had brought from home. It was a story that my own mother had written and had hoped to publish someday, and I had to admit; it was good. My dad always encouraged her to use their life savings to climb the castes and get to a Three so that she could pursue her life dream. Unfortunately, we had less than he thought and Mom refused to use any of it.

The palace was actually very comforting and easy to feel safe in. When I set my book down on the nightstand so I could close my eyes for a bit, I felt at home.

Once my eyes were closed, thoughts of Lionel flooded my mind. He was so kind, so thoughtful, and so dreamy. He would never even think of choosing a dirty Six. The thought got me a bit sad, but I knew it was true. I had to prepare myself not to be chosen, but at the same time, I needed to try to be _chosen._


	8. Chapter 6

The next morning, Mabel knocked on my door and told my maids to try to get me up and ready as quickly as possible. They rushed me into the bath, and filled it with a citrusy vanilla scent, telling me that was Lionel's favorite scent. That was a little weird, trying to make me smell appealing to the prince, but I didn't say anything about it to them.

They ended up putting me in a pretty cream colored, knee-length dress and cream, close-toed kitten heels that had a nice cream fabric flower on them. For jewelry, I wore a simple string of pearls, pearl earrings, and my bracelet that I had brought from home that was from my sister.

"Do you like it, miss?" Fathom asked, smiling at me as if she were afraid I'd say no. I had to admit, I looked _good._

" _Like it_?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. They almost jumped, thinking I was disappointed. "I love it!" They relaxed at this and ushered me out the door.

.~.~.~.

The Great Room was full of girls in pastel dresses. My maids apparently didn't get the memo, and I was the only one out of the ordinary. A few of the girls glared at me, but I saw Ginger and she motioned for me to come over and sit next to her. She was sitting and chatting with Dianna Wallace. _Good._ I thought to myself. _Someone nice._

"Hello," Dianna greeted, a smile wide on her face, "I'm Dianna. You must be Analeyah." I nodded, taking a seat next to Ginger.

"Yes, you must be Dianna. It's nice to meet you." I replied, reaching out to shake her hand. Instead, she took me in for a hug.

"I hope we can all be friends. It'd really be nice to know that I have some allies around here." Dianna gloated. I nodded as she finally released me from her hug.

"That'd be great." I answered, placing my hand on hers.

"Do you think we're going to meet the prince today?" Ginger asked a little too loudly, as Mabel shot her a disappointed look and slammed a finger against her lips.

"Yes, that's what I heard." Dianna said, sounding rather excited. I chuckled.

"I hope he's as cute in person as he is on TV." I laughed, and Ginger playfully swatted my arm.

"Hey! Don't say such things in his _house_." We all laughed, but it was short-lived as the shrieking of a microphone erupted into the room.

"Sorry!" Someone said. "It was an accident!" Laughter soon took over the room, and Mabel had to practically scream to get us all under control again.

"Alright, ladies! The prince will be arriving in exactly two minutes, so try to be on your best behavior until then!" Mabel sang before sitting back down on her plush, red chair.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Dianna squealed, taking mine and Ginger's hands. "I hope he likes us!" Ginger rolled her eyes.

"Dianna, he can't not like us. We're great." Ginger commented, chuckling a bit. I was about to say something, but Mabel violently hushed us. The whole room was silent in a matter of seconds. Ginger's breaths had stilled, and Dianna was even shaking a bit. I was fine, though I knew I should probably be a little bit nervous. I mean, what if the prince was only saying that to me last night to make me feel confident so he could send me home the next day? I had to convince myself otherwise.

"Ladies! I see him down the hall, stop talking and poise yourselves!" Mabel demanded out of nowhere. The whole room silenced, and I was slightly frightened by her tone. I straightened out my dress and folded my hands over my lap, sitting up straighter. Dianna was breathing very quickly, and Ginger was watching something that was moving…towards me? I turned to find Prince Lionel walking towards me, a smile wide on his face. He held out his hand, and since I had no intentions of declining, I took it.

"Good morning, Lady Analeyah. How are you today?" He smiled and brought my hand to his lips, raising an eyebrow.

"G-good morning, Your Highness. I am well, and you?" I answered a bit shakily. He chuckled.

"Quite extraordinary, my lady." Lionel let go of my hand and turned to the rest of the girls. "Good morning, ladies, I hope you all slept well. I am going to be taking each one of you over to the table in the corner to try to get to know you. Lady Analeyah is first, so if you don't mind…" All of the girls nodded at the same time, and Lionel smiled in approval. He then led me over to a white table that had two plush, baby blue chairs. I sat down first, and he pushed my chair in, later taking his own seat.

"So, Analeyah," Lionel began, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand, "how're you liking the palace so far?"

"It's huge," I answered honestly, "I think it is beautiful, but it'll take some getting used to."

"I understand." Lionel said with a nod, "Why did you enter the Selection?" My heart stopped. I didn't know whether I should tell him or not, and since I was supposed to be honest, I did.

"I wanted to get away from home, honestly. The compensation would help my parents so much with my two younger siblings, but I mostly signed up for the experience. I know I'm not going to be picked, so I might as well just enjoy every moment of it." I brushed a stray curl out of my face and met his deep brown eyes. He seemed amused at my uncertainty, and I could tell he wanted to laugh. A small chuckle came instead.

"What makes you so sure? You're at the top of my list right now."

"You have a list?" I raised an eyebrow, laughing a small amount, "And that's because you've only talked to me! That's not even a fair decision." Lionel laughed for real this time and reached out to me, placing his hand on mine.

"Maybe, maybe not. You never know." He grinned at me and took his hand from atop mine, and I was slightly disappointed. His hand was so warm, so inviting-sort of like his arms. We stared at each other for a bit, and soon enough, I heard footsteps approaching.

"Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, but she's not the only girl in the room." Mabel told him, bowing her head. Lionel nodded.

"Yes, of course. Please got get Lady Paullina, and tell her that we have five minutes so next time someone will remind me. I'll see you at breakfast, Lady Analeyah." I rose from my chair and nodded a goodbye to him before heading back over to Dianna and Ginger. Ginger was on the edge of her chair when I got back.

"Hey," I said as I sat down, "what's wrong?"

"You see that girl over there?" Ginger pointed over at Jani, and my heart dropped. What had she done this time?

"Yes, that's Jani. What about her?" I cocked my head to the right, interested in what she had to say.

"She was saying that she could just kill you because of your dress. She said she wanted to take it." Dianna explained. I blinked. I knew this competition would be intense, but I didn't know girls were going to be plotting murder.

"Can't that get her disqualified?" I asked, hugging myself.

"I believe so," Ginger said, "could you mention it to Mabel? Or even better: the prince?"

"I don't know, Ginger." I said, "I only met the prince this morning. I don't expect him to believe everything I say." Dianna grumbled something, then returned to glaring at Jani. I sighed, really not wanting to start any drama on our first official day as competitors.

"Do you just want to act like you didn't hear her so we don't start something?" I begged, glancing over at them. Ginger shook her head.

"Why would you want to let her get away with this?" She asked, knitting her eyebrows. I thought about that. She had a point; we were competitors. If I could somehow get her eliminated already, that would be one less girl to worry about.

"Because, until she does something, I'm going to pay no attention to her. Until I get evidence, I'm not saying anything about it." I told her, sighing. Ginger nor Dianna answered, so we sat in silence for the rest of the time that we were waiting for breakfast time to come around.

.~.~.~.

Breakfast had finally come around, and all but 5 girls were taken into the Dining Hall. I wasn't one who stayed behind, but Paullina Edmonds, Arlene Becken, and a few other girls had. They all looked nervous, and the prince was nowhere in sight. The image of them so disoriented was nerve-racking. I decided not to think about it and began to look for where my nametag was today. When I found my nametag, I was surprised to see Jani Hembly sitting right next to me.

"Hello, Lady Analeyah. Isn't this such an honor to be seated next to each other?" Her eyes were narrowed and angry. She looked like she was ready to fight me, and I admit, I was scared.

"Most definitely, Lady Jani. Your dress is quite pretty today." Her dress was a pastel purple, and it complimented her grey eyes. It was indeed pretty, but I didn't necessarily mean it as a compliment.

"Yours is…" Jani searched for the right words, "different. Why?" I shrugged.

"My maids didn't get the memo that the prince thought pastels looked good on women, I suppose."

"Could you ask them not to do that next time? It humiliated me." Jani mumbled.

"Sure thing." I wasn't going to mention it. Why would I? If she had been a bit nicer to me before now, maybe I would consider it, but I wasn't about to help her if she was always going to be so rude.

The food was brought out around five minutes after we got into the Dining Hall, and there were so many things that I thought I might explode. I decided on a few pieces of exquisitely done French toast, and some strawberries. Other girls piled food onto their plates, and Mabel was watching disapprovingly from the corner.

"Lady Analeyah," I heard Prince Lionel's voice come from up the table, "is that all you are going to eat?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I am really not very hungry." I gave him a polite smile before turning back to my food. I took the first bite of the French toast and was already in love. I must've had a strange look on my face because I heard the Queen and Lionel laughing.

"Do I have some on my face?" I asked.

"What makes you think they're laughing at you?" Jani questioned quietly in a rude tone.

"No," the prince replied, "the look on your face is priceless. You don't get nice food often, do you?"  
"No, Your Highness. My parents usually give us the same rice for three weeks straight." Queen Camille's smile faltered.

"Oh, dear child." She said quietly, then whispered something to one of her maids who scurried off not too much later.

"Well, since you haven't gotten your taste for exquisite foods yet, why don't you let me treat you to a dinner in the gardens tonight?" Lionel asked, his expression caring and thoughtful.

"Of course, Your Highness." I replied, a smile blooming on my face.

"Wonderful! We will discuss the details after breakfast—ladies! You didn't have to stop eating to listen. Feel free to continue!" Lionel returned his attention to his family and chatted among them.

.~.~.~.

I was done eating before most of the other girls, so the remainder of breakfast seemed like forever. Lionel pulled me to the side and told me to be in the gardens at 6, and that he was extremely excited. I had to admit, I was pretty excited as well. It was near noon, and I was so excited to tell my maids what the event was.

My maids were sewing some finishing touches on a pretty grey dress when I walked in.

"That's beautiful, guys." I said and sat down on my bed. My maids piped up and smiled at me.

"We thought grey might look good on you," Fathom explained, "so we made your dress for tomorrow that color."

"Well, do you think you could quickly make me another one?" I asked, careful not to hurt their feelings.

"Why? Do you not like it?" Idris asked, frowning deeply.

"No, no! That's not it." I said, grinning a bit. "I love it, but I have a date tonight." My maids looked at each other and started to squeal.

"I'm so excited for you, Lady!"

"Thank you! So, do you think you could do a green?" I asked, hoping they could.

"Of course! We'll get started right away!" They both bowed to me, then practically ran out of my room. I laughed. Tonight was going to be wonderful.

 **A/N:** ** _Oh my gosh. It has been over a month! I am so extremely sorry, you guys. I had such bad writers block and every time I would try to write, I would come up dry. I hope you all enjoyed this! I'm going to try to get new chapters up a lot this week in an apology for my absence! Love you all!_**


	9. Chapter 7

My maids put together the prettiest gown for the special occasion. It was a light green, floor length gown that had a small train in the back. The sleeves were made of a lighter lace, and they stopped at my elbows. The dress wasn't very poofy, but it was close to getting there. The actual back of the dress was mostly open except for the array of buttons in the center. They paired the dress with silver kitten heels, and gave me a simple silver necklace. They put on light makeup and curled my hair, pinning some of it back.

"You're ready, miss." Idris said with a soft smile, admiring her work in the mirror.

"The dress is beautiful, guys. Thank you." I murmured, placing a hand on my chest.

"You should get going, miss. Don't need you to be late!" Fathom replied, practically pushing me out the door. Once I was out and the door was closed, I heard the two start giggling. I rolled my eyes and started to head for the staircase. I hurried down the stairs, not paying attention to my surroundings, hoping I wasn't late already. I bumped into someone and fell, blushing a deep red at my clumsy abilities.

"Are you alright, miss?" A male voice spoke. I didn't know the voice, but it sounded vaguely familiar.

"Y-yes, I'm fine…" I looked up to see who it was and immediately straightened, "Prince Logan." I gave a short curtsy, then stayed there, knowing it was rude to leave his presence without permission.

"I hear you have a date with my brother tonight." His blue eyes shined. He had laugh lines covering his face even though he was barely sixteen.

"I do, Your Highness. Your brother is a lovely man, even though I have only had the honor of speaking to him twice." I replied honestly. Prince Lionel was actually nice, so I didn't have to lie to be polite.

"I must say," Logan began, "that you are the nicest of the thirty girls left, yet. I hope you stick around until the end. I like you." He gave a smile, bowed, and continued his way up the stairs.

 _Wow_ , I thought to myself, _are they all this nice?_ I chuckled quietly and found my way to the gardens.

.~.~.~.

Once I got there, there was a lighted pathway that lead me to a small courtyard in the center where Lionel was setting up and straightening himself out. Immediately, I felt like I was too early. What if I was? That would be so embarrassing. I started to walk towards him, when he turned around, seeing me. A smile began to bloom on his face.

"Why, hello, Lady Analeyah. I wasn't expecting you for another five or so minutes, so, please do not mind the mess I've made." Prince Lionel greeted, giving me a bow. I laughed quietly. He _had_ made a mess. Champagne was spilled on the table and floor, and it looked like he had accidentally knocked a plate off of the table while he was cleaning the champagne up.

"What did you do?" I asked in an amused tone. Lionel nervously brushed a stray dirty blonde strand of hair from his face.

"I was trying to be nice and already have the champagne poured for when you got here, but things didn't exactly work in my favor." He laughed, which made me laugh. It was refreshing to see him in a different atmosphere that didn't require him to be a picture-perfect prince. I could get used to seeing him like this. But then again, I didn't know too much about him, so I stopped that thinking process and moved on to another topic.

"That's wonderful. Need help cleaning it up? I can make it to where it looks like nothing happened." I gave a cheeky smile, and Lionel's facial expression changed from amused to pleading.

"Please, that would be great! I'd love if we could get this cleaned up before the press get here, at least." He sounded so serious that I couldn't help but to laugh.

"Of course. Just get me a few towels and I'll get right to work!" Lionel grinned and ran inside to grab the towels. While he did that, I started to pick up some shards of glass that came from the plate that he knocked off. There was already a small trash can in the garden, so I put the glass and food in there and leaned against a wall next to the doorway, waiting for Lionel to come out.

Lionel was taking his time finding the towels, so I decided to take a seat on one of the nearby benches and admire my remarkable surroundings. It was tremendous to see such an unblemished home—which was full of life—rather than my own dilapidated one. I could get stay like this forever and never get unhappy. I closed my eyes and began to think about home. How were my parents? Were my siblings doing alright? Just as I had started to worry, I heard Lionel open the door and walk over to where I was.

"Are you alright, Analeyah?" He asked concernedly and sat down next to me, resting his hands in his lap. I smiled brightly at him and nodded.

"Of course, Your Highness. Just missing home is all." I explained, tapping my foot against the stone floor. The prince nodded in understanding, and looked away from me. He looked like something was eating at him, and it was actually slightly concerning.

"Are you alright, Your Highness? You look a little green." I reached over and hesitantly placed my hand on his. He looked over at me and sighed.

"Oh, no, I'm fine. This is just my first date...there weren't many girls in the palace growing up, so I don't exactly know what to do or talk about." Lionel chuckled in embarrassment, ducking his head a bit. I smiled.

"Girls aren't that different from boys, honest. We'll talk about anything at all!" I assured him, squeezing his hand a little bit. This seemed to cheer him up quite a lot.

" Okay, then… what did you imagine your life would be like at this age when you were younger?" He asked, cocking his head slightly, showing interest.

"Well," I began, laughing at the thought of little me, "I definitely didn't think I would be getting into the Selection. It was always a hope, but it seemed extremely unlikely so I didn't let it influence my wishes. I used to think that by this age I'd be married to the kid next door to me, Kyle. He and I were best friends as kids and used to joke about marriage and stuff, but boy was I wrong." I paused, "What about you?" Lionel blinked in surprise.

"Uh...well, you know...I kind of already knew that I would be doing the Selection at this time, so I guess I never really thought about it." _Oh. What a stupid question, Analeyah._ I scolded myself.

"That's true." I responded as a maid walked out carrying a platter that held an array of different foods. My mouth instantly started watering at the sight of it.

"You look excited." Lionel observed with a small chuckle. He was right. I was excited. I didn't eat enough for lunch, so I had been hungry since a little after 2.

"I am." I blushed. Did I make it that obvious?

Once the maid sat our food down on the table, Lionel reached over and grabbed a plate. He slowly filled it with food, then looked to me, nodding his head toward the table. I, too, grabbed a plate and filled it with food.

The rest of the night was full of laughter and smiles, and I'm pretty sure I shed a few tears as well. We had apparently fallen asleep while watching the stars and a guard had to come wake us up to tell us we needed to go inside. We laughed at that, too. I don't think I'd be disappointed if the prince ended up marrying me.


	10. Chapter 8

_**Authors Note: Hi guys! I haven't uploaded a chapter in 7 months, wow. I am so sorry for that! Life has been so hectic as of late, I just haven't had time to write. In an attempt to apologize, I have prepared an especially long chapter for your enjoyment 3 love you all!**_

"Lady Analeyah, I'm going to need to you to get up, now." Idris said, pulling my curtains open, letting a bright ray of light engulf the room.

"Oh!" I hissed, pulling a pillow over my head to shield my eyes from the light pouring into the room, stinging my eyes. Idris must have walked over to me because before I knew it, the pillow I was using to shield my face was yanked away from me in annoyance.

"Lady, please. We've been trying to get you up for hours, now. You have a big event today." Fathom said from across the room. She was sitting on a small cushioned stool, sewing a new lavender colored dress. It looked like it would come to a little above my knees, with sleeves that looked long enough to come down to just below my elbows. It had a heart-shaped neckline, and immediately, I could imagine myself wearing one of my necklaces that I had at home with it.

"Alright," I mumbled as I kicked the sheets away from me and stepped out of bed into my slippers that were right beside my bed.

My maids smiled cheerfully in my direction and ushered me into the bathroom, already tugging at my hair and buffing powder onto my face. They sat me on a stool in front of the vanity and did my hair and makeup. It was a long process of tugging, curling, pinning stray hairs up, and at least two cans of hairspray, but in the end they had done my hair in an exquisite half-up, half-down look. My hair was expertly curled into perfect ringlets, and a few hairs hung loosely in my face. For my makeup, they had put on a bit of blush, light eyeshadow, a bit of mascara, and some light pink lipgloss. I smiled at my reflection. This was something that I would wear at home, and it made me feel a bit better about the oncoming events of the day.

Idris and Fathom presented to me a sky blue day dress. It was sleeveless and came down to just below my knees. It had a small jeweled waistband and was made solely out of tulle. They paired this with silver kitten heels and a silver necklace. I was ready to go to breakfast, now.

.~.~.~.

The Dining Room was full of energy and chaos. Florists and maids scurried around, making sure the room was nicely prepared for when the visitors arrived. The French King and Queen were coming to visit us, and the Selected were asked to prepare a speech in which they would present to the French visitors and those who are residents of Illea as well. I wrote my speech about having motivation and fairness in the workforce. It was a real problem where I was from, and being a Six, I was well used to being treated like dirt for my caste and the job I had.

I sat in my seat and tried to tune out the other girls' gossip as I piled food onto my plate. I ate rather quickly, as my nerves were eating at me. When Mabel finally dismissed us, I practically ran from the room. My stomach lurched as I walked down the hall, and, not paying attention, I slammed right into someone as I turned the corner. Both of us fell, and some loud, exaggerated gasps were heard from behind us. I stood and offered a hand to the woman that I had just tripped, offering many apologies.

"I'm so so sorry," I murmured, shaking my head embarrassedly, "I wasn't watching where I was going and turned that corner so abruptly that I must have startled you beyond belief." The woman smiled at me. She had kind blue eyes, blonde hair, rosy cheeks, and a pretty smile. Laugh lines were found around her mouth and eyes, and right as I noticed that, I realized she looked an awful lot like Queen Camille. Oh, no. This was Queen Leona. I had just knocked down the Queen of France before I was even supposed to meet her.

"Your Majesty," I corrected myself in a means to be polite, "I sincerely apologiz-" She cut me off before I could finish.

"Nonsense!" She declared, reaching out and placing a hand on my shoulder. "It was my fault entirely. I wasn't looking ahead, and, because of that, I got myself into a bit of trouble it seems." Queen Leona looked me over with an approved smile. "Oh, you're Analeyah, aren't you? You're such a little doll, aren't you?" She paused, looking at a man who was standing next to her. "Gerard," She began, "you're dismissed. Let me have some time to talk to the Lady alone, please." The man nodded and departed, and after his departure, the queen turned to me, her eyes sparkling fondly. "Walk with me."

The queen took me to a side door that led to the garden, and we started down one of the paths that took you to the center sitting area. She seemed to know the area very well, and, admittedly, it made me a bit nervous.

"So Lady Analeyah," She began, smiling at me as we continued down the stone laden path, "how have things been going at the palace? Good I'd assume."

"It's been wonderful, your Majesty. It is certainly better than that of my own home back in Newberry." I replied in an upbeat tone. She smiled at me before she sat down on a bench situated between two rose bushes and gestured to the spot next to her.

"My cousin Camille has been telling me Lionel has been gushing about you, Analeyah." Queen Leona admitted, gazing off into the distance thoughtfully. "He hasn't talked about anyone so fondly before." My heart skipped a beat.

"R-really?" I asked, my voice cracking a little bit in nervousness.

"Of course he has some nice things to say about the other ladies as well, but she said he mostly speaks of you. You must have made a mighty grand impression on him, dear." The queen reached over and took one of my hands in both of hers. "I'm not really supposed to say this, but if you ever need some help in getting another girl eliminated…" she winked.

"Oh, no, I would never…"

"I know, but just in case you ever do. I think this palace needs a lower casted queen in here once more." The queen opened her mouth to say something more, but Queen Camille opened the garden doors and the clicking of her heels against the stone path showed that she was desperately trying to reach her cousin.

"Leona!" Queen Camille exclaimed once she reached us, "I'm so glad you made it here safely." She paused, taking in my presence. "Hello, Lady Analeyah. I hope my cousin wasn't filling your brain with nonsensical statements. She really is a kind and sensible person once you get to know her." She winked in my direction, then returned her attention to her wide eyed cousin who was shifting uncomfortably in her seat on the bench. "Would you like to come in and meet the other ladies, Leona?" She asked finally.

"Yes! That would be wonderful." Queen Leona stood and curtsied to me, and I returned the gesture. "Until next time, Lady Analeyah."

"Goodbye, Your Majesty." I replied, a smile spread wide across my face. I watched awkwardly as the two cousins turned and began walking back to the palace. Tearing my gaze from them, I studied the palace and noticed that Idris was hanging over my balcony waving at me, obviously trying to get my attention. I ran as fast as my heels would allow over to the balcony and called, "What is it, Idris?"

"It is time to come in, lady! The speeches are scheduled to begin in 5 minutes and you are fourth on the list. Come on, then!" Upon hearing this, I turned abruptly and began running back in the direction of the double doors that lead inside of the palace.

.~.~.~.

The Great Room was full of life when I made my entrance. I heard a whistle coming from somewhere in the room, and, intrigued, I scanned the room for the person responsible. After about ten seconds I spotted Ginger, who was waving frantically at me and gesturing for me to come sit next to her. I smiled and made my way over to her, taking a seat once I got their.

"I saw you talking to the French queen earlier," Ginger began, without a greeting, her voice bouncier than usual, "what was all that about?"

"Oh, um…" I tried to hide my blush. It was always embarrassing to talk about how clumsy I am. "I ran into her in the hallway and we found it hilarious so we decided to take a walk together." Ginger cupped her hand over her mouth dramatically as if that was the juiciest piece of gossip that she had ever heard.

"You," she started, pausing briefly for effect, "took a walk with Queen Leona? _Queen Leona_?" I nodded and laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I guess I did." Ginger opened her mouth to say more, but was interrupted by the squeaking of a microphone, which caused the whole lot of us to cover our ears and flinch away from the awful noise.

"I apologize." Came a voice across the very same microphone. An involuntary smile crept onto my face. I knew that voice. My eyes darted to the stage that was set up in front of us and I instantly felt at ease when I saw him. Prince Lionel was standing on the stage, holding the microphone awkwardly in his left hand while he conversed with his father. He was wearing a baby blue suit with a white and gold sash draped across his chest. His wavy, sandy blonde hair was gelled back, but a few stray hairs still found there way out and into his eyes. He blew up at them subconsciously before returning his attention to his quiet, attentive audience.

"Welcome to Illea, Queen Leona. We are very happy to have you here." He began clapping, prompting the rest of the audience to clap as well. Queen Leona was positioned in a red, cushioned chair on the stage, looking regal as ever. She smiled and waved at everyone, then proceeded to say something to her cousin that no one could hear, and the two laughed. I smiled at this and shifted awkwardly in my seat when Ginger nudged me and laughed quietly.

"As you all know," Lionel continued, his voice confident and his lips turned into a smile, "My second-cousin Leona only visits Illea once every five years, but you ladies have been lucky enough to meet her two years earlier than her scheduled visiting time. We are so excited to introduce you all to her and for you to give her a glimpse into your morals with your speeches. Leona, the girls have been asked to prepare a speech with their thoughts on how we can make Illea a better place to live in. I am excited, as I'm sure the rest of you are, to hear the end results." Everyone applauded for a bit, and once it settled down, Lionel said, "I now invite the first lady up to the stage, Jani Rochester, to recite her speech!" He stepped back from the microphone as Jani walked up the steps leading to the stage area, waving to everyone as if she was at a concert and the audience was her fans. I rolled my eyes slightly at this.

.~.~.~.

The first four speeches went by rather slowly, as all they really proposed to make the country a better place was to tax the lower castes more and up the salary of those in higher castes. Finally, it was my turn, and I made my way awkwardly up to the stage, almost tripping once I got to the microphone. I looked out over the audience, and suddenly, my stomach lurched, and a wave of nausea swept over me. I swallowed, took a few breaths, told myself that if I didn't recite my speech I would be eliminated, and spoke.

"Hello, people of Illea. My name is Analeyah Salome, and as you all know, I am of a lower caste. I'm a Six, and because of this, I am often overlooked and ignored. Most people in this country would like to focus on the problems originating in the higher castes such as lack of maids, housekeepers, and butlers who are willing to take the , it is quite a tragedy that these people will not be free of having to clean their house, but have you ever thought about the people on the other end? Have you ever considered why they aren't taking any jobs?" I paused, taking a deep breath. "I have had personal experience with this, and I can tell you the reason right now. The people who hire us are extremely harsh and treat us like trash. They do not care one bit whether or not we get a wink of sleep the night before, if we're coming to work on a full stomach, or if they are hurting our feelings. I think, that if we better the treatment of the lower castes, these small problems would fixed instantly." I smiled, "Thank you, that is all." There was no applause at first, just bewildered stares aimed directly at me. Finally, the whole room erupted into applause, and I could see Jani trying to shut everyone up. I smiled at this before I exited the stage.

.~.~.~.

Once all the speeches had been recited and the chatter had filled the room once again, we all moved into the Dining Hall for a banquet. Lionel was chatting animatedly with his parents and Queen Leona, and everyone else was occupied with something of their own. Desperate to get out of this crowded room, I grabbed a pastry and slipped through the double doors after making sure no one was looking. I began walking down the hallway in search of a corridor I could slip into and be alone. Once I had finally found one, I heard the clicking of shoes behind me and I whipped around, finding myself face to face with Prince Lionel.

"Y-your Highness," I sputtered, immediately straightening.

"Analeyah," Lionel said, crossing his arms with a frown, "Is there any specific reason as to why you left in the middle of the banquet?" He sounded hurt.

"You and everyone else were occupied, so I felt like it was a good opportunity to slip out." I paused, "I'm not a very social person." The prince grinned, and nodded in understanding.

"I'm not a very social person either," he admitted, "it's nice to know someone else who doesn't enjoy being in the center of crowds very much."

"My family is very antisocial, so this is really the only time I've been forced to interact with so many people." I murmured in an embarrassed tone. The prince laughed.

"Wanna get out of here?" He asked, cocking his head. I nodded quickly, and he took my hand, leading me up the stairs.

We went up to the third storey, and I paused.

"Wait," I began slowly, taking in my surroundings, "I thought the Selected weren't allowed up here?"

"Yes, but only when you aren't accompanied by a member of the royal family, and, fortunately for you, I am just that." He grinned sheepishly and I giggled, beginning to walk again. We walked down a long hallway, and at the very end was a door. He placed his hand on the knob and turned it to the left. The door opened and the two of us entered the room.

Lionel's room was dark blue, and the walls were covered in sketches-detailed sketches, too, it appeared that he was very talented. There was a desk in the corner that was covered in papers, and next to that was an easel. In the middle of the room was his bed, which was made out of a deep mahogany and had a light blue quilt. Lionel sat down on the edge of his bed and motioned for me to take a seat next to him if I wanted. I glanced at the clock, making sure it wasn't past my curfew, and, seeing as it was only 8:30, I took my place next to him.

Things were quiet for a few moments, but right as I decided to talk, so did he. The two of us laughed.

"You go first." I insisted, receiving a grin from the man in front of me.

"If you insist," he said with a wink, before returning to his usual seriousness. "I was going to ask what hobbies you enjoyed. I noticed that you were observing my sketches and I suddenly became curious of your interests." I smiled a bit at this.

"I love to sing." I said with a slight smile, thinking about how Tya and I would sing as we made breakfast in the morning. "But I also really enjoy taking walks outside. There's something about nature that intrigues me and always keeps me drawn in." I turned to him, nudging his shoulder gently. "What about you? I mean, aside from drawing that is."

"I enjoy being alone if that counts." He said, glancing around his room. "I also rather enjoy the outdoors as well. I suppose we have that in common." He paused. "I like to dance." He blurted out, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" I asked, giggling. "Mind showing me your moves?" He smiled.

"Certainly." He stood, offering me his hand. I took it happily and rose off of the soft cushion of the bed, immediately being spun around. I giggled and found myself nose to nose with Lionel. We both stared into each other's eyes for a moment, but once we realized how close together we really were, we moved away. We waltzed for a while, indulging ourselves in conversation.

"Wait, you really ate mud when you were younger? Like every day?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him.

"I did." He said proudly, "And I am proud of it."

"Proud?" I laughed, "Are you sure about that, Lionel?"

"Hey! Ill-judgment is not welcome here. I had a great mud pie business going there for a minute! Both of my brothers, my mother, and my father even said they were the best mud pies they had ever thrown over their shoulders." He dipped me and said, "Besides, I will never forget that you accidentally pushed a politician into a fountain. I will never let you live that down." He pulled me back up and attempted spinning me again, but I lost my footing and tumbled backwards onto the bed, pulling him with me. We laughed at this for a while, so much that it began to hurt, until we realized we were very, very close to each other. Lionel blinked and took in my flustered expression. He leaned in and his eyes began to close, and, not thinking, I leaned up as well and closed my own eyes. When our lips met, it was loving, yet ferocious at the same time. He pressed his lips harder onto mine, and I returned the action, wrapping my arms around his neck.

My mind was racing. I had never felt so loved, so...right, ever in my life. When he finally pulled away, he blushed, looking away.

"I'm sorry, that was a bit sudden." He murmured, casting me a look of apology. I shook my head.

"No, no. It's fine. I didn't mind it at all." I replied, offering a reassuring smile. He smiled back awkwardly.

"Well that's nice to hear…" he looked away, "that was my first kiss, so if it was bad…"

"It was mine too," I admitted, "and it was wonderful. I wouldn't have done it any other way even if I could." Lionel nodded and laid back onto his bed. I laid back next to him, nuzzling my head into his chest.

"Analeyah?" He asked, gently stroking my hair.

"Yes, Your Highness?" I replied, my green eyes searching his chocolate brown ones.

"Marry me." He murmured, pressing his lips against my hair tenderly. I blinked.

"W-what did you say?" I asked, biting my lip.

"I said," Lionel repeated, laughing awkwardly, "that I like you." I blushed. I had just imagined something completely different, and if I had responded with something other than asking what he had said, I would have made him think me crazy. I grinned and tried to respond as reasonably as I could.

"I like you too, Lionel. You are not at all what I thought you to be." I whispered. When he didn't answer, I looked over at him to see if he was still awake, and seeing that he wasn't, I smiled, closing my eyes as well.


	11. Authors Note

Hi guys! I posted a chapter yesterday but it isn't showing that I updated it. Chapter 10, as it is called on the list of chapters, is the new chapter (Chapter 8) and it is an especially long chapter that I wrote in apology for my absence. Thanks for understanding. ❤️


End file.
